At the Portland expo show there was an aluminum white eagle statue. It sold quick. The vendor claimed the originals were made in both cast iron and aluminum. I always believed only the cast iron were original and the aluminum were a repop in the last 20 years or so. Does anyone know the history of the aluminum ones?

Never heard of an orig. Alum.

Up to what year did white eagle operate as a brand? Notes on the site indicate it was bought out in 1930. Long before the widespread use of aluminum?

I've only heard of aluminum as repops also. And I may be proved wrong, but.... Not only was cast iron more economical is was also stronger, more durable and also harder to pick up and walk away with. I've noticed sometimes when certain guys buy something, thinking its original only to find its probably a fake, they will solicit opinions until they finally find one that lines up with their original hope. Then that becomes gospel.

" I've noticed sometimes when certain guys buy something, thinking its original only to find its probably a fake, they will solicit opinions until they finally find one that lines up with their original hope. Then that becomes gospel."

OOhhhhhh so true...

Aluminum ones do not have the finished detail that the cast iron ones do. Rougher. Never have seen an aluminum original.

Reproductions are usually done with the easiest and quickest method of production in mind versus quality, function and longevity.

Cast iron one's have more detail, better construction, more expense involved in production and serve the original purpose much better.

Ever see an original aluminum Case Eagle? I think, that answers the question at hand.

"Ever see an original aluminum Case Eagle? I think, that answers the question at hand".

Sorry Dave, how does that answer the question? My questions were actually does anyone know the history of the aluminum ones, and what is the history of White Eagle Gas (as that might show that the aluminum ones couldn't have been produced while the company was operating).

I didn't look close at the aluminum one at Portland as it sold just before I walked up to the table. I can't answer to the quality.

Woops. I misread your answer Dave. You were talking Case Eagles and I was talking White Eagle. I agree with your comment.

Cast Alum. has been around over 150 years. BUT WHITE EAGLE Made their statues w/ Cast Iron.

Wow. I obviously wrongly assumed aluminum didn't come into regular commercial use till WW2.

Assuming gets More Into Trouble than Out of Trouble!
Assuming your Financial Advisor is correct that your accountant has been ripping you off & not vice verses! Time to Fire BOTH!

Originals are also made in concrete...

The concrete ones are blunt nosed I believe, with less detail than the cast iron versions. I believe the concrete eagles may have been the first produced in the 1920s...

I have a postcard with the photo clearly showing a concrete eagle, and an auto with a 1926 license plate.

How can you tell it's Concrete & not Cast Iron in a 1926 Photo?

Aluminum versions are Mexican made repops...

Originals are only concrete and cast iron. Both original versions are HEAVY

Cast iron versions have the stair stepped base with 3 holes

Concrete versions have a less elaborate, flat base that the eagle sits on

No, Only repro'd Case Eagles in Alum, but recently they are also repo'd in Cast Iron with pretty good detail.

I have only seen concrete white eagles here in MN that I can remember, and ony about 5 in my short time collecting...I would be hesitant about any statues in alumimun without overwhelming history.

Kim

There are 2 cast iron reproductions on eBay right now.
http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=111407881455

I'm the guy who bought the Portland Show eagle. The dealer sold it to me as a repro. The originals were cast iron. I think the guy who said they were made in Mexico is correct. I would guess circa 1970s. I bought it to resell and it is currently up for sale on eBay. Thanks for the info. You can always contact me on eBay and/or I'll keep checking back here to see if any new information develops. Thanks, John

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360987362686?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

You bought it as Repop, BUT now your Trying to sell as Original!
That ain't gonna FLY HERE.

No deception here. Originals are cast iron. It is what it is.

I read your e-Bay listing and in my opinion it is very misleading and deceptive.

You bought it as a repop and confirm that it is repop but are trying to sling a BS story in your eBay listing that it is an original. Then you come here and post a link to your listing. Trying to rip someone off to the tune of $3200.00 isn't going to sit well here with the majority of the membership.

I didn't come to this site to sell it. I wanted to make sure that the dealer I bought it from was not slandered and to learn more about it. The dealer had paperwork explaining the 1st castings were cast iron and that this was a later, but still old, casting. This is NOT a "repop". A repop would be cast iron. The Kansas newspaper article is there for all to read (and, apparently, for you to ignore!) and it certainly implies that the white eagle gas station historian bought his aluminum eagle believing it was from his local white eagle station (closed in 1930). ~ My guess is it's the price that is so upsetting? Would you still be whining if it was priced at $50.00? No. Not to be rude (like you!) but all I can say it "get over it! Buyers (grownups!) will do their own online research and make their offers accordingly. I'm the guy selling it and I get to decide what price I will let it go for (or keep it casaue its so cool!)1920s or 1970s, I bought it because it is a spectacular piece of art and am selling it as such.

You've got that repop sitting pretty close to the edge. Would hate for something to...

I read the newspaper article you mentioned, one sentence written by a reporter that probably knows nothing offers no proof at all. It's second hand information. You pick the one tiny thread that says it MAY be original and hang on like it's rope. You're a profiteer looking for a rube, sad thing is you'll probably find one. I'm sure you'll laugh all the way to the bank.

Those would be cool done in sidewalk crack filler(acrylic)and fine sand. They would be durable and detailed and could be made cheaply. Making a solid iron piece that weighs 70+ lbs is not cheap. I worked in a foundry for 14 years and we made a column nut once that weighed about 50-60 lbs. I had to put each one on a drill press and drill holes through the gate so the risers could be broken off with a sledge hammer without damaging the casting. What fun... lol Dave

So it is the price that's upsetting you.

The originals were cast iron and the eBay listing clearly states that(more than once!) The point of this thread was to find out the history of this aluminum casting and it sounds like nobody knows. The mexican connection goes along what my hunch that the age is 1970s and I think that's currently the most likely scenario. That puts it at about 1/2century old and quite scarce. Consistant with the age it shows and the very few of these that ever show up on the market.

NO, it's the Deceptive Description of your ebay auction.

Original Cast Iron & FANTASY Alum ones are Hollow Cast, only Concrete ones were Solid.
A SOLID CAST IRON would weigh 250-300+#

So I assume that they used a shell core. More expense, but less iron. How thick are they... 1/4"-1/2" ?
I was offered a pair of these back in the 80's for 600. I turned it down. lol Dave

Got these two about a month ago at a business liquidation sale. Concrete and about 250 pounds. I believe the mold was sold also....they sold the molds before I realized these eagles were there....they had hundreds of different molds.

No comment otherwise.

Jim

dick, you're full of it. There is no deception in that eBay listing.

Checking auction prices I see that when one of these aluminum ones do come up for auction (one about every 2 years?) they have sold for around $1500.00 most likely to a *dealer who will mark it up accordingly. The last one went for $1200.00 + $240.00 buyers premium + tax + shipping = $2000.00?

*dealer, or as one member on this thread describe us (evil) "profiteer"!(lol)

Thanks to you who provided useful information. All the best, John

I will be revising the eBay listing as facts are provided to support the eagle's history. But as of this post a 1970s Mexican recast is the most likely theory. Sorry dick that this so horribly offends you but as of this post that where this stands. But its only been a few days, maybe something will come to light that can put this to rest.

ebay is full of deceptive descriptions w/ sellers selling damaged/chipped/curved Repop & Fantasy signs. Your not the 1st nor will you be the last. History is full of Hear Say & not Facts [White Eagle Mall most likely had Eagles cast in Alum for their own use as even in the 80's the Original Cast Iron Eagles were selling for $500-800+].

Shame on vendor that sold it to you stating Originals were made in Iron & ALUM.

the vendor did not say that originals were cast in both. The vendor provided papers showing the originals were cast iron, period! The aluminum castings were later, but still have age, as per the papers provided by the vendor. As an antiques dealer I could see it had age. I immediately assessed it at circa 1970s. It was only after I got home and found the Kansas article that I questioned that it could be much older. The papers provided by the vendor included past auction records so I knew the value of the piece before I bought it. That the White Eagle Mall had these cast is a very good theory and I have already made inquiries about that but have not yet heard back. Take a breath dick, relax! The piece was just found this weekend and its only tuesday! what 4 days!

I'll reluctantly add my two cents. I bought this original concrete white eagle out of a front yard in Kansas. It's weathered but you can tell two things 1.) the pedestal design is different 2.) it matches the "blunt nose " version of the globe.

I'm of the opinion that Wadhams MAY be a modern concrete repro of a cast iron original. I say this simply because I believe only the cast versions had the stair stepped base. And if the auction location had 100s of molds, they probably made a mold of an original cast iron one at some time...

Only a guess, the history of this company is pretty murky. No offense if I'm mistaken...

Last year I visited a Rest Home & there were 3 seniors that swore they survived the Titanic Sinking of 15 April 1912, & None are older than 94!

so this is day 4 of researching this aluminum statue. I am not a petroleum collector or expert. I bought my statue cause it was super cool. But after 4 days of online research the first & original statue seems to be concrete with a flat base (as seen above). All others seem to have come after this concrete version? The eagle statues vary with at least 3 different bases, 3 noses, thigh shapes, feather details, etc...they come in concrete, hollow & solid cast iron and hollow & solid aluminum. One or 2 of these shapes/statues are likely connected to White Eagle Gas but as it turns out, there have been many 100s of "eagle" companies in America over the last century. 99.99% have nothing to do with oil or gas. "White Eagle" companies alone are seemingly endless. Isn't it most likely that most of these statues have nothing to do with the White Eagle Gas Co.? And just because its painted white, made of concrete or cast iron doesn't mean its a gas mascot. It isn't that these different shapes and materials are repros, it's that they belong to companies other than WEGas? People are just being told they are from white eagle gas and are painting them white? Over the last century, there are & have been, red eagle, blue eagle, green eagle, golden eagle, bald eagle and countless other "eagle" companies. I think that's why there are so many shapes & variations? Most are not gas statues?!

It looks like there are about 10 different century-old eagle molds, all about 33-34" tall. WEGas was only in business for about 20yrs. Why would they make 10 variations of their mascot? They wouldn't. It is most likely that 8 or 9 of these molds have no connection to WEGas. They belong to the other, many 100s, of eagle companies that were out there.

The White Eagle Antique mall closed in the 1990s but this statue did not originate there. The current mall's petro expert has weighed in and is aware of only one white eagle statue selling in his area in the last several decades. Almost certainly the aluminum statue mentioned in the Kansas newspaper article. Other than the petro guy, the antique folks down there were not aware of White Eagle Gas and told me the entire area is called white eagle, there's a white eagle bank, etc. And they are not alone, there are many other areas in the U.S. that identify themselves as "white eagle". Anyway, that's what I'm thinking tonight. I'll work on this some more.

I for one am glad to see you have done some searching. The shape of yours is within the design of W. E. Oil Company, BUT W. E. NEVER had/used an Alum. Cast Multi pcs welded together as that process didn't come into use till 1941, W.E. Sold Out/Merged in 1930's w/ SOCONY VACUUM.

I've never seen/heard of any W.E. being Solid Cast Iron.

By the way, EAGLES/Birds have BEAKS, not Noses!

WHITE EAGLE (ca. 1840-1914). White Eagle was the hereditary chief of the Ponca Indians

My cast iron one is hollow.

Feels solid as a rock tho

I hope future generations read this topic for a reference point.

And aluminum originals don't exist period!

I'm out.

Thank you! very helpful!

For reference here are pictures of an original cast iron eagle, as stated it has three mounting holes, is hollow, and weighs at least 150-175 lbs.

This thread will be online for many years. It would be nice if those of you that have ORIGINAL gas station photos that include an eagle to post them on this thread. The photos would have to be 1930 or earlier (and not of a newer restoration project etc). Those photos should reveal 2 or 3 eagle styles. Even if 100yrs old, painted white and made of cast iron or concrete: if the style does not appear in those photos they would not be White Eagle Gas mascots. They would belong to some other century-old eagle-related company or building project.

Here is a blurb on "Worthpoint"; dated Nov. 2010...

In this article, is an example of a White Eagle statue and also an image of a White Eagle Station in Osage City, Kansas:

http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/collectors-minute-white-eagle-statue

White Eagle was not a Regional Oil Company in the PNW... So my knowledge is somewhat lacking...

Another site, with a short History:

http://examineeverything.org/2011/01/19/white-eagle-gas-history/

been to this station 3 times in the past 3yrs..very cool station and someone is trying to restore it,not sure if its a private or the city..eagle is still there ..I always stop there when returning from our engine show in Ottawa Ks.
Alan

Here's the pic from Bob's link.

When researching my eagle I contacted this restoration project and they tell me that the eagle in this photo is a concrete replacement. Not the original. The original eagle at this station was cast iron.

Your still fishing w/ decription;

WHERE on the Chrysler Building is there Similar EAGLES?

once I get it polished it will greatly resemble the eagle heads on the chrysler building. Ebay works by keywords. In a few weeks/months I will be changing the description to something else to reach a completely different crowd. Made after the company closed, this is no longer a piece WEGas memorabilia.

NOT EVEN CLOSE to resemble Chrysler Building Eagles.

SNIPE HUNTING/SUCKER FISHING.

Poor excuse.

Dick, what's up with you!? You need to give this a rest. Horribly judgmental. Buyers on ebay are adults completely capable of making their own comparisons & decisions.

These statues were stock industrial age art for gardens & architectural building projects. WEGas just happened to choose this mold but its not theirs alone, other (mostly none petro) people used them too.

I contacted an aluminum metal polisher today for an estimate and I'm guessing in a month or so I'll have a whole new product (not a white eagle) here to sell. Once I get it back polished I will post a side by side with the Chrysler eagle head for comparison.

Here is a side and beak shot of the original cast iron eagle

So we've now gone from it being used as a scarecrow, or placed atop a barn or silo... to now being a compared to the Chrysler building eagles?... a "New York" apartment show-stopper!... LOL

Why not plate it in gold and claim it to be a tribute to King Tut?... did I just give you an idea?

Keep posting here, jfaycook. You are... well... let's say... very entertaining.

that's the idea!

I heard back from the folks making the aluminum Mexican eagles. They are a NEW product. It appears to be the WEGas mold but a smaller version, about 3" shorter. The company is not trying to recreate a "vintage" item and the statues are easily identifiable as brand new. They were aware that the antique aluminum eagle existed. The quality of the antique aluminum statues is far superior to the Mexican version which leads me to believe they were American made. Welded aluminum, 1940s? military?

"Easily identifiable as brand new"... are they wearing a sombrero?

:o)